Anderson Silva details the one problem he has with UFC president Dana White

Anderson Silva is one of the best UFC fighters of all time but he has one problem with Dana White.

Silva was in the UFC from 2006 to 2020 and was the former middleweight champion while he fought 25 times in the promotion. He headlined countless shows, defended his belt 10 times and was the face of the company for years.

There’s no question Anderson Silva is a massive star and a big reason why the UFC is what it is today. However, he has one problem with the promotion and Dana White which he revealed in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani.

“It’s strange for me, because everybody signs and when inside they start talking, ‘You guys don’t pay me correct,’ and this and that,” Silva said to The MMA Hour. “I never, in my life, talked about how much the UFC paid me because I fight a lot and that’s my problem with Dana — it’s not a problem, it’s a business, Anderson Silva is a company going inside the UFC and signing the contract. It’s two companies making business together.

“My problem with Dana is [when he] talks about fights because Dana has never fought MMA in his life. That’s my problem, when he talks about, ‘You can’t do that, can’t do that, you don’t fight correctly.’ No, no, no, that’s my only problem with Dana,” Silva continued. “I think Dana is a good person. Everybody talks about Dana, ‘He’s not good, blah blah blah.’ He’s a good person, but he’s a businessman. UFC doesn’t get to this point now as a big, big company in the world if the people think, ‘I did something, I’m sorry fighters, I did something incorrect.’ No, the company grew up because of hustlers doing something and that’s the game. You’re inside or not. You can sign or not sign, you can go anywhere, but when you sign, you make the deal with my company.

“You can’t say nothing because why did you sign? You signed. You have a contract. ‘Oh no, let me out of the contract.’ You signed the contract, you’ve seen the rules of the contract, why are you talking about it now? And I’m so lucky because I’m not in the UFC anymore and I have my own journey right now. I don’t need to say, ‘Can I do that?’ I don’t need to ask permission from the UFC or from Dana for absolutely nothing anymore.”

Of course, Anderson Silva fought out his UFC contract and has since gone into boxing. He has beaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by decision while also knocking out Tito Ortiz and will now face Jake Paul. The Brazilian legend has advised fighters to understand the business better before signing with the promotion.

What do you make of Anderson Silva’s lone problem he has with UFC President Dana White?